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Pouring all of Earth's water onto the Sun could lead to an unexpected catastrophe. What could it be?
Since ancient times, people have debated the workings of space. But none of us have ever doubted the existence of the Sun.
In fact, according to scientists, the Sun is just a typical star. This star consists of 73% hydrogen, 25% helium, and a small amount of heavy elements. However, in about 5 billion years, the Sun's lifecycle will end, and the hydrogen inside will also deplete. The Sun will begin the helium burning phase in its core. Meanwhile, in the outermost layer of the Sun, the reaction of combining two hydrogen atoms into helium will continue.
When it becomes a red giant star, the outer layer of the Sun will expand to the orbit of Mars and engulf Mercury, Venus, and Earth. While Mercury and Venus will be swallowed by the Sun, Earth, even if not engulfed, will experience extremely high temperatures, leading to the destruction of life.
After helium depletion, the Sun will become a white dwarf star with a heavy, hot core surrounded by a planetary nebula. Eventually, this white dwarf star will cool and fade until it becomes a black dwarf someday. However, even in theory, this process will take a very long time.
So, if we pour all the water on Earth onto the Sun, can we extinguish this star?
According to scientists, the answer is we cannot extinguish the Sun this way. Because the Sun is not a fire burning with oxygen like on Earth. Instead, in space where there is no oxygen, the Sun exists through nuclear reactions turning hydrogen into helium.
Therefore, if we pour water into the Sun, we are actually adding more fuel to this star. Instead of extinguishing, this method only makes the Sun bigger, hotter, and much brighter. Water is indeed fuel for the Sun. So, pouring water into the Sun is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. What's concerning is that the added mass from the water will make the Sun heavier. This is truly a bad idea.
Pouring water onto the Sun, Earth faces a catastrophic doom
If we continue adding water, sooner or later the Sun will collapse on its own, leading to unimaginable catastrophes for other planets and especially life on Earth.
On the other hand, if we use all of Earth's water to extinguish the Sun, what will happen to our blue planet? Clearly, water is extremely important for life on Earth. However, because using all the water to pour onto the Sun will cause fish and other sea creatures to fall into catastrophic doom.
Especially, marine creatures cannot withstand sudden changes in pressure. The Earth back then with everything around was just land. Without oceans, our blue planet would also lack clouds or rain.
No water means no life on Earth. Widespread wildfires leave the homes of animals barren. Everything becomes dry, leaving nowhere for life to exist on Earth. At this point, Earth resembles a massive desert.
The absence of water implies that Earth will not support life. Wildfires raging everywhere leave the habitats of animals nonexistent. Everything turns arid, and there will be nowhere left to live on Earth. At this juncture, Earth resembles an immense desert.
References: Brightside, Amaze Lab
